CERTIFYING INSANITY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 787, 9 April 1910, Page 15

CERTIFYING INSANITY.

JUDGE'S REMAKES ON THE LUNACY LAAV. A case was heard recently at the Man-! Chester Assizes in which Florence Fowler, a Rochdale mill-worker, claimed damages from Dr. William Prince Grant, of Rochdale,'alleging that he fully and without reasonable care certified, her to be a person of unsound mind. The case was sottled ektra-judicially, all claims -being withdrawn' on both sides. Commenting on the evidence, .' justice Walton said:'— "Certainly-this case has brought to my mind very vividly,' and I should, think to the minds of all of you, that the gravest -responsibility rests upon constables, relieving officers, magistrates',, and medical men who put into force the machinery of the lunacy law. I am not reflecting upon anything that has been done in this case, but it seems plain that a man or a woman, not a pauper, but perfectly well able to maintain himself or herself, may bo taken to the workhouse and shut up in an imbecile ward, declared to bo insane, and shut up in a lunatic asylum without, any public inquiry,. without any hearing before a magistrate, without that person having any opportunity of puiting forward what ho or she in ay wish to say. against the charge; indeed, without any. notice of what was going on." There were cases whoro it was necessary to act promptly, but in .the case of a person declared to bo a lunatic on the ground that ho or she had a delusion it. was not enough to think-that what the alleged lunatic said was untrue. Speaking as one with an experience of the administration of the ordinary criminal law no. 0110 was locked up for n week without every possible earo being taken that there should bo a public inquiry, and that their case should bo heard and no evidence received which was not strictly good evidence- as against him or her. Before anyone was shut up in t> lunatic asylum surely such caro should be taken in working the machinery thaievery precaution should bo taken.